Burnham couple still in Basilan, AFP says

ZAMBOANGA CITY — American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Filipina nurse Deborah Yap are still being held in the jungles of Basilan, the military said yesterday.

Lt. Col. Danilo Servando, spokesman for the Armed Forces Southern Command, denied reports that Abu Sayyaf bandits have taken the three hostages to Sulu to escape pursuing government troops.

"No, that is not true," he said. "Our information still maintains that the Burnhams are in Basilan."

Earlier reports coming out of Basilan said the Burnhams and Yap are now in the hands of Mujib Susukan, one of the commanders of the Abu Sayyaf band in Sulu.

Servando said government troops continue to scour the jungles of Basilan for the Abu Sayyaf gunmen whom they encountered in Lamitan town on Good Friday.

The soldiers believe that the Abu Sayyaf gunmen they had fought were holding the Burnhams and Yap because they had found the hostages’ personal belongings at the scene, Servando added.

Servando said the military is tracking down the Abu Sayyaf with US spy and surveillance planes which show that the bandits are still in Basilan.

"Every move of the Abu Sayyaf has been monitored by the AFP," he said.

"The arrest the other day just confirmed that whatever they do there we can now monitor and take action to them. Yes, it helped, the technical intelligence provided by those surveillance aircraft helped us a lot our there." – Roel Pareño